This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1970 to 1979.
1970
* 1970: the IRA carried out an estimated 130 bombings in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
in 1970.
February–July
* 2 February: The Provisional IRA threw a
gelignite
Gelignite (), also known as blasting gelatin or simply "jelly", is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or guncotton) dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and Potassi ...
bomb from a passing car at a British Army building on the
Shankill Road
The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.
The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast ...
,
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
where 50 troops were stationed. There were no injuries but the blast blew a hole in the side of the wall. There is some confusion over who threw the bomb, as the UVF was initially not happy with the British Army on the Shankill Road and had been throwing bombs, but the Provisional IRA who were formed in December 1969 wanted to make their presence felt with these kind of bombs according to Belfast Commander
Billy McKee.
* 1 March: the IRA bombed and wrecked a statue of mid-late 19th century
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
,
anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics and opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and its adherents. Scholars have identified four categories of anti-Catholicism: constitutional-national, theological, popular and socio-cul ...
preacher
A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
named "Roaring"
Hugh Hanna
Hugh Hanna (21 February 1821 – 3 February 1892), nicknamed Roaring Hanna, was a Presbyterian minister in Belfast known for his anti-Catholicism.
Biography
Born in Dromara, County Down, Hanna studied at Bullick's Academy in Belfast before ...
in Carlisle Circus, Belfast at about 03:50 am.
* 1 April: The IRA exploded a large bomb in Belfast city centre, damaging a number of shops but causing no deaths or serious injuries.
*4 April: A bomb exploded at an
Estate agents
An estate agent is a person or business in the United Kingdom that arranges the selling, renting, or managing of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents a ...
offices on Belfast's Lower Donegall Street, shattering numerous windows near the bomb blast, it was the third bombing that day, the first exploded in a furniture shop owned by the then
Lord Mayor of Belfast
The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the city's 60 councillors. The Lord Mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the U ...
Joseph Foster Cairns on the
Shankill Road
The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.
The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast ...
, the second bomb ruined a
tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
shop on
Royal Avenue, Belfast
Royal Avenue is a street in the heart of Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland. It runs for about 500 metres from the junction with Castle Place and Donegall Place to the junction with Donegall Street. It lies between the Cathedral Quarter an ...
a fourth bomb was found in a shop & defused on Rosemary Street. These were the first bombs to explode in shops in three months time & were the beginning of a sustained bombing campaign against economic targets. Security Forces blamed the IRA for the attacks.
*6 April: a suspected IRA bomb containing 4 lbs of gelignite exploded on
Crumlin Road
The Crumlin Road is a main road in north-west Belfast, Northern Ireland. The road runs from north of Belfast City Centre for about four miles to the outskirts of the city. It also forms part of the longer A52 road which leads out of Belfast to th ...
, Belfast. The blast caused significant damage to two shops & two flats above the shops, no injuries reported.
* 26 June: two IRA
volunteers
Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...
, Joseph Coyle and Thomas McCool, were killed in a premature explosion of an incendiary device at the McCool home at Dunree Gardens, Creggan, Derry. McCool's two young daughters, Carol Ann (4) and Bernadette (9), were also killed in the explosion. A third IRA member, Thomas Carlin, died of his injuries on 8 July.
* 27 June: rioting erupted in working class parts of
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
following
Orange Order
The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...
marches past Catholic areas. IRA members used firearms to defend the
Short Strand
The Short Strand () is a working class, inner city area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a mainly Catholic and Irish nationalist enclave surrounded by the mainly Protestant and unionist East Belfast.
Short Strand is located on the east ban ...
and
Ardoyne
Ardoyne () is a working class and mainly Roman Catholic Church, Catholic and Irish republicanism, Irish republican district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1920 the adjacent area of Marrowbone saw at multiple days of communal violence be ...
from attack by
Ulster loyalist
Ulster loyalism is a strand of Unionism in Ireland, Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland (and formerly all of I ...
gunmen and rioters. Two loyalists and one republican died in the cross-shooting (see
Battle of St Matthew's).
* 3 July: The IRA bombed an Army recruitment office in Belfast on early Friday morning 3 July, destroying the front of the wall of the building and injuring one person. The blast was heard over six miles away.
* 3–5 July:
Falls Curfew – a
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
raid on the
Falls Road, Belfast
The Falls Road () is the main road through West Belfast, Northern Ireland, running from Divis Street in Belfast City Centre to Andersonstown in the suburbs. The name has been synonymous for at least a century and a half with the Catholic comm ...
developed into a riot between soldiers and residents and then into gun battles between soldiers and the
Official IRA
The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA (OIRA; ) was an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a " workers' republic" encompassing all of Ireland. It emerg ...
. The IRA also attacked troops with improvised grenades. The British Army sealed off the area, imposed a 36-hour curfew and raided hundreds of homes under the cover of
CS gas
The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called ''o''-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of the lachrymatory agent commonly referred to as CS gas, a tear gas which ...
. The British Army eventually admitted there had been incidents of looting during these raids. Three Catholic civilians (William Burns, Charles O'Neill, and Zbigniew Uglik) were killed by the British Army and more than 60 people were wounded.
* 13 July: The IRA fire bombed the hotel Elsinore on the
Antrim Road
The Antrim Road is a major arterial route and area of housing and commerce that runs from inner city north Belfast to Dunadry, passing through Newtownabbey and Templepatrick. It forms part of the A6 road (Northern Ireland), A6 road, a traffic rou ...
causing a large blaze which caused much damage but no injuries as the hotel was unoccupied at the time of the bombing.
* 16 July: The IRA carried out a bomb attack on the Northern Bank premises in High Street, Belfast City centre. 30 people were injured in the blast, three of them were seriously injured and large damage was caused to the bank.
August–December
* 12 August: two
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...
(RUC) officers, Samuel Donaldson (aged 23) and Robert Millar (aged 26), were killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb attached to an abandoned car near
Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ir ...
,
South Armagh. The bomb contained of
gelignite
Gelignite (), also known as blasting gelatin or simply "jelly", is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or guncotton) dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and Potassi ...
and exploded when one of the officers attempted to open one of the car's doors. see –
1970 RUC booby-trap bombing
On 11 August 1970, two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were killed by a booby-trap bomb planted under a car by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) near Crossmaglen, in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
They were the first RUC ...
* 4 September: an IRA volunteer (Michael Kane, aged 35) was killed when a bomb he was planting at an electricity transformer on New Forge Lane, Malone, Belfast, exploded prematurely.
* 29 October: The electric sub-station at
Banbridge
Banbridge ( ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. It is in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper ...
,
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
is blown up by a Provisional IRA bomb & the blast badly damaged the sub-station, there were no injuries.
* 16 November: the IRA shot dead two Catholic men, Arthur McKenna (aged 35) and Alexander McVicker (aged 35), as alleged criminals while the two were repairing a car,
Ballymurphy Road, Belfast.
The men were alleged to have been involved in protection rackets, fencing stolen goods, minor racketeering, money-lending, burglary and robbery.
1971
January–February
* January 1971: following months of clashes between British soldiers and
Irish nationalist
Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...
s in Ballymurphy, the British Army held secret talks with the IRA. It was agreed that, in parts of West Belfast, the IRA would be responsible for policing and there would be no activity by the British Army or RUC.
[Reed, David. ''Ireland: The Key to the British Revolution''. Larkin Publications, 1984. pp. 158–159.]
* 3 February 1971: under pressure from the
unionist government of Northern Ireland
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
, the British Army began a series of raids in nationalist areas of West and North Belfast. This sparked clashes between residents and British soldiers, and between nationalists and loyalists. Eight soldiers and a number of civilians were wounded. The IRA saw the raids as a breach of the policing agreement, and violence continued for the next few nights.
[
* 6 February 1971: the British Army shot dead IRA staff officer James Saunders (22) in North Belfast. The British Army claimed soldiers removing barricades in the Oldpark district came under gun and bomb attack. In Ardoyne, soldiers shot dead a Catholic civilian, Bernard Watt (28), whom they claimed was armed, after an ]armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world.
Acc ...
was attacked.
* 6 February 1971: during clashes between nationalists and British soldiers in the New Lodge New Lodge may refer to:
*New Lodge, Winkfield near Windsor, Berkshire, England
*New Lodge, South Yorkshire, England
*New Lodge, Belfast, an area of North Belfast, Northern Ireland
*New Lodge, Billericay, association football ground in Billericay, E ...
district, the IRA opened fire on a group of soldiers, killing Gunner Robert Curtis. He was the first British soldier killed in Ireland since the 1920s. The next day, James Chichester-Clark
James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola (12 February 1923 – 17 May 2002) was the penultimate Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and eighth leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 1969 and March 1971. He was Member of the Northern I ...
, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
The prime minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland (1921–1972), Government of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920; however, the L ...
, declared on television that "Northern Ireland is at war with the Irish Republican Army Provisionals". Eight British soldiers and five civilians were injured in various gun battles around Belfast.
* 8 February 1971: during clashes on the Crumlin Road, Ardoyne, Belfast, two British Army scout vehicles came under sniper fire and had a bomb thrown at them. A soldier (John Laurie) was shot in the head and died eight days later, on 15 February.[
* 9 February 1971: at the funeral of IRA volunteer James Saunders, a ]three-volley salute
The three-volley salute is a ceremonial act performed at military funerals and sometimes also police funerals. The custom likely originates with Roman funeral rites. Dirt would be cast on the body three times followed, and the ceremony was ende ...
was fired over his coffin by the IRA. The funeral cortege was forced to make a detour when 300 loyalists blocked Oldpark Road and stoned mourners. There were also scuffles with police. There was controversy after a British soldier was filmed saluting the coffin as it passed his armoured car.
* 9 February 1971: five men, George Beck (aged 43), John Eakins (aged 52), Harry Edgar (aged 26), David Henson (aged 24), and William Thomas (aged 35) were killed while travelling in a Land Rover, which detonated a landmine on track, Brougher Mountain, near Trillick, County Tyrone. A British Army mobile patrol was reportedly the intended target. The five were on their way to inspect a transmitter: two of the dead men were BBC engineers, the other three were construction workers. The landmine was intended for a British Army patrol that usually inspected the transmitters.
* 26 February 1971: Two RUC Special Patrol Group officers, Robert Buckley (aged 30) and Cecil Patterson (aged 45), were killed in a gun battle with the IRA while on Royal Ulster Constabulary mobile patrol, Etna Drive, Ardoyne, Belfast.[
]
March–April
* 8 March 1971: Provisional IRA volunteer Charles Hughes (26) was shot dead by the Official IRA
The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA (OIRA; ) was an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a " workers' republic" encompassing all of Ireland. It emerg ...
, while leaving a house on Leeson Street, Lower Falls, Belfast; part of an ongoing dispute between the Provisional IRA and the Official IRA.[ In response the Provisional IRA shot and seriously injured an Official IRA volunteer.
* 9 March 1971: the Provisional IRA kidnapped three off-duty Scottish soldiers (John McCaig, Joseph McCaig, and Dougald McCaughey) in Belfast, brought them to a mountain road outside the city and shot each in the head. They were the first off-duty soldiers from Britain to be killed in the conflict.
]
May–June
* 15 May 1971: IRA volunteer Billy Reid was killed during a gun battle between the IRA and the British Army on Academy Street, Belfast. Two British soldiers were wounded in the incident.[
* 25 May 1971: a bomb was thrown into ]Springfield Road
The Springfield Road () is a residential area and road traffic thoroughfare adjacent to the Falls Road in west Belfast. The local population is predominantly Irish nationalist and republican. Along parts of the road are several interface are ...
British Army/RUC base in Belfast, killing British Army Sergeant Michael Willetts as he shielded civilians from the blast with his body. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross
The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...
. Seven RUC officers, two British soldiers and 18 civilians were injured.
July–August
* 12 July 1971: a British soldier (David Walker, aged 30) was shot dead by an IRA sniper at a British observation post on Northumberland Street, Lower Falls, Belfast. The IRA claimed his death was in retaliation for the killings of two civilians in Derry by the British Army the previous week.
* 14 July 1971: a British soldier (Richard Barton, aged 24) was shot dead in an IRA ambush on a mobile patrol in Andersonstown
Andersonstown, known colloquially as Andytown, is a suburb of west Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the foot of the Black Mountain and Divis Mountain. It contains a mixture of public and private housing and is largely a working-class area with a ...
, Belfast. Three IRA gunmen using automatic weapons fired at least 35 shots at the patrol.[
* 16 July 1971: volunteers from the ]Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade
The Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Provisional IRA was the largest of the organisation's brigades, based in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The nucleus of the Belfast Brigade emerged in the divisions within Belf ...
fired a rocket launcher
A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile.
History
The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few i ...
at Andersonstown RUC station, the rocket was launched from a nearby café. The shell badly damaged the station but no serious injuries were reported.
* 8 August 1971: a British soldier (Malcolm Hatton, aged 21) was shot dead in an IRA sniper attack while on foot patrol, Brompton Park, Ardoyne, Belfast. The IRA claimed he was shot in retaliation for the shooting death of a civilian by the British Army the day before on the Springfield Road.[
* 9 August 1971: 343 suspects were detained as ]internment
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
was introduced (see Operation Demetrius
Operation Demetrius was a British Army operation in Northern Ireland on 9–10 August 1971, during the Troubles. It involved the mass arrest and internment (imprisonment without trial) of people suspected of being involved with the Provisiona ...
). In the following two days 17 people were killed in gun battles between the IRA and British Army. The IRA killed two British soldiers (one of them UDR) while the British Army shot dead one IRA volunteer and 14 civilians. Between 1971 and 75, 1,981 people were interned; 1,874 were Catholic and 107 were Protestant.[
* 9 August 1971: a UDR soldier (Winston Donnell, aged 22), was killed in a joint Provisional and Official IRA ambush at a vehicle check point in ]Clady, County Tyrone
Clady () is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies about 4 miles from Strabane on the River Finn and borders the Republic of Ireland. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 538 people. This article contain ...
.
* 10 August 1971: Norman Watson, a Protestant civilian, was killed in the crossfire between the IRA and soldiers in Armagh
Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...
.
* 10 August 1971: Paul Challoner (aged 23), a British soldier, was shot dead by the IRA while on foot patrol, Bligh's Lane, Creggan, Derry.[
* 11 August 1971: an IRA volunteer (Seamus Simpson, aged 21), was shot dead while throwing a bomb at a British Army foot patrol, Rossnareen Avenue, Andersonstown, Belfast.][
* 16 August 1971: the commander of the Provisionals' Belfast Brigade, ]Joe Cahill
Joe Cahill (; 19 May 1920 – 23 July 2004) was a prominent figure in the Irish republican movement in Northern Ireland and former chief of staff of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). He joined a junior-republican movement, Na Fia ...
, gave a press conference claiming only 30 IRA volunteers had been interned.[
* 18 August 1971: an IRA volunteer (Eamon Lafferty, aged 20) was shot dead during a gun battle between the IRA and the British Army in Kildrum Gardens, Creggan, Derry City.][
* 23 August 1971: a British soldier (George Crozier, aged 23) was shot dead by an IRA sniper on Flax Street, ]Ardoyne
Ardoyne () is a working class and mainly Roman Catholic Church, Catholic and Irish republicanism, Irish republican district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1920 the adjacent area of Marrowbone saw at multiple days of communal violence be ...
, Belfast. The soldier was shot in the head as he exited a British armoured vehicle.[
* 25 August 1971: a Protestant civilian (Henry Beggs, aged 23) was killed when the IRA bombed the Northern Ireland Electricity office on the Malone Road, Belfast. An inadequate warning was given.][
* 29 August 1971: Battle of Courtbane, a British soldier (Ian Armstrong, aged 33) was shot dead by an IRA sniper near ]Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ir ...
, County Armagh. The soldier was travelling in a patrol consisting of two armoured Ferret Scout cars which inadvertently crossed the Irish border
Irish commonly refers to:
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the island and the sovereign state
***Erse (disambiguatio ...
into County Louth
County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...
near the village of Courtbane. While attempting to retreat back angry locals blocked their way and set one of the vehicles on fire. After eventually managing to get back across the border the patrol had to stop to change a damaged wheel. While this was happening a six-man IRA unit arrived on the scene and took up sniping positions in nearby fields. The soldier was killed after being shot in the neck. Another soldier was injured when he was struck in the shoulder.[
* 31 August 1971: a British soldier (Clifford Loring, aged 18) was killed when he was shot by an IRA sniper at a vehicle checkpoint at Stockman's Lane, Andersonstown, Belfast. A single shot was fired by a sniper which passed through the shoulder strap of another soldier's flak-jacket before hitting Loring in the head.]
September–October
* 1 September 1971: The IRA exploded a number of bombs across Belfast and Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
injuring about two dozen people.
* 2 September 1971: The IRA exploded a bomb at the headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...
(UUP) which wrecked the building, a number of people were injured in the blast.
* 3 September 1971: a UDR soldier (Francis Veitch, aged 23) was shot dead while on guard duty outside Kinawley RUC in County Fermanagh, when an IRA unit attacked.[
* 3 September 1971: a 17-month-old toddler (Angela Gallagher) was killed after being hit by a ricochet bullet in her pram during an IRA sniper attack at a British army patrol in the Iveagh Drive/Iveagh Street area, Falls Road, Belfast.][
* 9 September 1971: a British Army bomb-disposal expert (David Stewardson, aged 29) died while attempting to defuse a bomb at Castlerobin Orange Hall, Drumankelly, near ]Lisburn
Lisburn ( ; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with t ...
, County Antrim.[
* 14 September 1971: a British soldier (John Rudman, aged 21) was shot dead while on mobile patrol, Edendork, near ]Coalisland
Coalisland () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.
History
Origins
In the late 1 ...
, County Tyrone.[
* 15 September 1971: a British soldier (Paul Carter, aged 21) died one day after being shot outside Royal Victoria Hospital, Falls Road, Belfast by the IRA.][
* 17 September 1971: a British soldier (Peter Herrington, aged 28) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol, Brompton Park, Ardoyne, Belfast.][
* 18 September 1971: an RUC officer (Robert Leslie, aged 20) was shot dead while on foot patrol by the IRA at Abercorn Square, ]Strabane
Strabane (; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Strabane had a population of 13,507 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th Open Government Li ...
, County Tyrone.[
* 20 September 1971: The IRA exploded a bomb in the Bluebell Bar in the Loyalist ]Sandy Row
Sandy Row () is an inner city area of south Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is predominantly Protestant working-class. In 2018, the population was estimated to be around 4,000. It is a staunchly loyalist area and heartland of the paramilitary U ...
area injuring 27 people.
* 23 September 1971: a patrol boat belonging to the Northern Ireland Fishery Conservancy Board was bombed and wrecked by an IRA unit at Derryinver, Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh ( ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. It has a surface area of and is about long and wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 4 ...
.
* 29 September 1971: Two Protestant civilians were killed when the Four Step Inn on the Shankill Road
The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.
The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast ...
in Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
was bombed. No group said they did the bombing but it's believed the Provisional IRA
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
was behind the bombing.
* 1 October 1971: a British soldier (Peter Sharpe, aged 22) was shot dead in an IRA gun attack on a British Army foot patrol, Kerrera Street, Ardoyne
Ardoyne () is a working class and mainly Roman Catholic Church, Catholic and Irish republicanism, Irish republican district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1920 the adjacent area of Marrowbone saw at multiple days of communal violence be ...
, Belfast.[
* 2 October 1971: an IRA volunteer (Terence McDermott, aged 19) died after the bomb he was transporting to an electricity sub-station at Lambeg, near Lisburn, County Antrim, exploded prematurely.][
* 3 October 1971: an Agriculture Ministry imports inspector (Patrick Daly, aged 57) from ]Moira, County Down
Moira () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is in the northwest of the county, near the border with counties County Antrim, Antrim and County Armagh, Armagh. The M1 motorway (Northern I ...
was shot dead by the IRA.[
* 11 October 1971: a British soldier (Roger Wilkins, aged 32) was shot dead by the IRA while on foot-patrol on Letterkenny Road, Derry.][
* 15 October 1971: two RUC officers, Cecil Cunningham (aged 46) and John Haslett (aged 21), were shot dead by an IRA unit while sitting in stationary RUC vehicle at the junction of Woodvale Road and Twaddell Avenue, Belfast.][
* 16 October 1971: a British soldier (Joseph Hill, aged 24) was shot dead by the IRA during street disturbances, Columcille Court, Bogside, Derry.][
* 17 October 1971: a British soldier (Graham Cox, aged 35) died two days after being shot by an IRA sniper while travelling in a British Army armoured personnel carrier, Oldpark Road, Belfast.][
* 17 October 1971: a British soldier (George Hamilton, aged 21) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol, Glenalina Park, Ballymurphy, Belfast.][
* 23 October 1971: two female IRA volunteers, Maura Meehan (aged 30) and Dorothy Maguire (aged 19), were shot dead by the British Army while travelling in car warning local residents of house raids, Cape Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 24 October 1971: an IRA volunteer (Martin Forsythe, aged 19) was shot dead by the RUC during a bomb attack, Celebrity Club, Donegall Place, Belfast. His partner in the mission, IRA volunteer and later Sinn Féin politician Rita O'Hare, was seriously wounded.][
* 27 October 1971: two British soldiers, David Tilbury (aged 29) and Angus Stevens (aged 18), were killed in an IRA bomb attack on an observation post at the rear of Rosemount RUC/British Army base, Derry.][
* 27 October 1971: an RUC officer (Ronald Dodd, aged 34) was shot dead by an IRA sniper when he arrived with a mobile patrol at the scene of fire in a house at Gallagh, near ]Toome
Toome or Toomebridge () is a small village and townland on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies in the civil parish of Duneane in the former barony of Toome Upper, and is in the Antrim and Newtownabbe ...
, County Antrim.[
* 27 October 1971: a British soldier (David Powell, aged 22) was killed when a British Army armoured personnel carrier struck an IRA landmine in ]Kinawley
Kinawley or Kinawly () is a small village, townland (of 187 acres) and civil parish straddling County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland and County Cavan, Republic of Ireland. The village and townland are both in the civil parish of Kinawley (founded b ...
, County Fermanagh.[
* 29 October 1971: an RUC officer (Alfred Devlin, aged 42), was killed in a bomb attack on Chichester Road Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, off the ]Antrim Road
The Antrim Road is a major arterial route and area of housing and commerce that runs from inner city north Belfast to Dunadry, passing through Newtownabbey and Templepatrick. It forms part of the A6 road (Northern Ireland), A6 road, a traffic rou ...
, Belfast.[
* 30 October 1971: a British soldier (Norman Booth, aged 22) was killed when the IRA bombed a British Army Observation Post on the junction of Springfield Road and Cupar Street, Belfast.][
* 31 October 1971: a British soldier (Ian Doherty, aged 27) died three days after being shot while on mobile patrol, Stockman's Lane, Belfast.][
* 31 October 1971: the Post Office Tower in London (later renamed the British Telecom Communication Tower) was heavily damaged by an IRA bomb.
]
November–December
* 1 November 1971: two RUC officers, Stanley Corry (aged 28) and William Russell (aged 31), were shot dead by an IRA unit while investigating a burglary, Avoca Shopping Centre, Andersonstown, Belfast.[
* 2 November 1971: three Protestant civilians (John Cochrane, Mary Gemmell, and William Jordan) were killed in bomb attacks on a drapery shop and Red Lion Bar, either side of Ormeau Road Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, Belfast. They were drinking in the Red Lion Bar, next door to the base at the time. Jordan died on 4 November 1971. Inadequate warning given.][
* 4 November 1971: a British soldier (Stephen McGuire, aged 20) died seven weeks after being shot in an IRA attack on the Henry Taggart British Army base, Ballymurphy, Belfast.][
* 7 November 1971: an off-duty British soldier (Paul Genge, aged 18) was shot dead while walking along Tandragee Road, ]Lurgan
Lurgan () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and roughly southwest of Belfast. The town is linked to Belfast by both the M1 motorway (Northern Ireland), M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin rail ...
, County Armagh, in an IRA drive-by attack.[
* 9 November 1971: a British soldier (Ian Curtis, aged 23) was shot dead while on foot patrol by an IRA sniper on Foyle Road, Derry City.][
* 11 November 1971: two RUC officers, Dermot Hurley (aged 50) and Walter Moore (aged 37), were shot dead by the IRA in a shop at the rear of Oldpark Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, Oldpark Road, Belfast.][
* 18 November 1971: a British soldier (Edwin Charnley, aged 22) was shot dead by the IRA while guarding a bus depot, Anderson Street, ]Short Strand
The Short Strand () is a working class, inner city area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a mainly Catholic and Irish nationalist enclave surrounded by the mainly Protestant and unionist East Belfast.
Short Strand is located on the east ban ...
, Belfast.[
* 22 November 1971: Michael Crossey (aged 21), an IRA volunteer was killed in a premature bomb explosion at Cellar Lounge Bar, Church Place, Lurgan, County Armagh.][
* 23 November 1971: a civilian from ]County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
(Bridget Carr, aged 24) died four days after being shot during a sniper attack on a nearby British Army patrol while walking along Lifford Road, Strabane
Strabane (; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Strabane had a population of 13,507 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th Open Government Li ...
, County Tyrone.[
* 24 November 1971: a British Army bomb disposal expert (Colin Davies, aged 38) was killed attempting to defuse a car-bomb left in a car showroom at William Street, Lurgan, County Armagh.][
* 27 November 1971: two Customs Officials, Ian Hankin (a 27-year-old Protestant) and James O'Neill (a 39-year-old Catholic), were killed when IRA snipers attacked Killeen Customs Post near ]Newry
Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...
. The soldiers guarding the post were reportedly the intended targets.[
* 27 November 1971: a British soldier (Paul Nicholls, aged 18) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol, St James Crescent, ]Falls Road, Belfast
The Falls Road () is the main road through West Belfast, Northern Ireland, running from Divis Street in Belfast City Centre to Andersonstown in the suburbs. The name has been synonymous for at least a century and a half with the Catholic comm ...
.[
* 29 November 1971: an off-duty British soldier, Robert Benner (aged 25), originally from Dundalk, County Louth but raised in England, where he had joined the army, was found shot dead at Teer, near ]Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ir ...
, County Armagh. He had been returning from his fiancée's home in Dundalk when he was attacked. A "non-specific Republican group" was cited as responsible in ''Sutton''.[ A news report claimed he had been tortured.
* 6 December 1971: a Protestant civilian, Mary Thompson (aged 61), was killed when a wall collapsed onto her shortly after an IRA bomb attack on the Salvation Army Citadel building next door, Dublin Road, Belfast.][
* 7 December 1971: an off-duty UDR soldier (Denis Wilson, aged 31), was shot dead by the IRA at Curlagh, Aghaloo, near Caledon, County Tyrone.][
* 8 December 1971: an off-duty UDR soldier, Sean Russell (aged 30), was shot dead at his home at New Barnsley Crescent, Ballymurphy, Belfast.][
* 8 December 1971: a British Army soldier, Jeremy Snow (aged 35), died four days after being shot by a sniper while on foot patrol, New Lodge, Belfast.][
* 10 December 1971: a UDR soldier and an ex-soldier were killed when their car was attacked by an IRA unit near Clady, Strabane, County Tyrone.][
* 11 December 1971: a bomb attack on a furniture shop on the ]Shankill Road
The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.
The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast ...
in Belfast killed four Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
civilians, including two children.[ No organisation claimed responsibility, but there was speculation that it may have been planted by the IRA in retaliation for the ]McGurk's Bar bombing
On 4 December 1971, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, detonated a bomb at McGurk's Bar in Belfast, Northern Ireland, frequented by Irish Catholics–nationalists. The explosion caused the building to collap ...
of 4 December.
* 16 December 1971: a British soldier (Anthony Aspinwall, aged 22 Gloucestershire Regiment), was shot dead by an IRA sniper in the Lower Falls area of Belfast.[
* 18 December 1971: three IRA volunteers (James Sheridan, John Bateson and Martin Lee) died in ]Magherafelt
Magherafelt ( ; , ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,071 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county an ...
, County Londonderry
County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...
, when the bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely.[
*20 December: A number of IRA bombs exploded in Belfast including a car bomb on the Antrim Road.
* 21 December 1971: a Catholic publican (John Lavery, aged 60) was killed when he picked up and attempted to remove a bomb that had been planted in his pub on the Lisburn Road, Belfast. The ''Sutton'' database lists the IRA as responsible.][
* 21 December 1971: an IRA volunteer (Gerald McDade, aged 23) was shot dead after being captured by the British Army in the Ardoyne area of Belfast.][
* 29 December 1971: a British soldier (Richard Ham, aged 20), was shot dead while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Foyle Road, Brandywell, Derry.][
* 31 December 1971: an IRA volunteer, Jack McCabe (aged 55), originally from ]County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
, was killed when a bomb he was assembling exploded accidentally in Santry
Santry () is a suburb on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin, Kilmore and Ballymun. It straddles the boundary of Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council jurisdictions.
The character of the area has chang ...
, Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
.[
]
1972
January
* 3 January 1972: The IRA exploded a bomb in Callender Street, Belfast, which injured over 60 people.
* 5 January 1972: A British soldier (Keith Bryan, aged 18), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol, Ardmoulin Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.
* 7 January 1972: An IRA volunteer (Daniel O'Neill, aged 20) died two days after being shot during a gun battle with British troops, Oranmore Street, Clonard, West Belfast.[
* 12 January 1972: An off-duty RUC reservist (Raymond Denham, aged 42) was shot dead by an IRA unit at his workplace, Waterford Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 13 January 1972: An off-duty UDR soldier (Maynard Crawford, aged 38) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while driving his firm's van along King's Road, off Doagh Road, ]Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey ( ) is a large settlement north of Belfast city centre in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course, but it still forms part of the Belfast metropolitan area ...
, County Antrim.[
* 17 January 1972: Seven IRA volunteers, jailed in the prison ship HMS ''Maidstone'', escaped successfully through a porthole on the side away from the dock. They swam to the dockside and hijacked a bus which they drove to the Markets area. The escapees later held a press conference.
* 21 January 1972: A British soldier (Philip Stentiford, aged 18) was killed when he stepped on an IRA landmine, Derrynoose, near ]Keady
Keady () is a town and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is south of Armagh and near the border with the Republic of Ireland. It is situated mainly in the historic barony of Armagh with six townlands in the barony of Tiranny ...
, County Armagh.[
* 26 January 1972: An IRA volunteer (Peter McNulty, aged 47) was killed when a bomb he was planting at an RUC base in ]Castlewellan
Castlewellan () is a small town in County Down, in the south-east of Northern Ireland close to the Irish Sea. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve ...
, County Down, exploded accidentally.[
* 27 January 1972: An IRA unit fought a 4-hour gun battle with a British Army detachment at Dungooley, County Armagh. The British Army alone fired over 4,500 rounds while the IRA returned fire with assault rifles and an anti-tank gun. There were no casualties in the battle with the exception of a pig which was caught in the crossfire. Eight IRA volunteers were arrested south of the border but were eventually acquitted.
* 27 January 1972: Two RUC officers, Peter Gilgunn (aged 26) and David Montgomery (aged 20), were killed when their patrol vehicle was hit by IRA gunfire in ]Creggan, Derry
Creggan (; meaning ''stony place'') is a large housing estate in Derry, Northern Ireland, on a hill not far from the River Foyle. It lies on the townlands of Ballymagowan and Edenballymore.
The estate is very close to the border with County ...
.[
* 28 January 1972: An off-duty RUC officer (Raymond Carroll, aged 22) was shot dead in an IRA gun attack at a garage, Oldpark Road, Belfast.][
* 30 January 1972: A British soldier, Robin Alers-Hankey (aged 35), died four months after being injured in an IRA sniper attack in the ]Bogside
The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Féile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are ...
, Derry.[
]
February
* 1 February 1972: A British soldier, Ian Bramley (aged 25), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while leaving Hastings Street Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)/British Army (BA) base, Lower Falls, Belfast.[
* 2 February 1972: A bomb exploded at the Catholic-owned Imperial Bar in ]Stewartstown, County Tyrone
Stewartstown is a village in Northern Ireland, close to the western shore of Lough Neagh, about from Cookstown, from Coalisland and from Dungannon. Established by Scottish Planters early in the 17th century, its population peaked before the ...
. The pub was officially closed in mourning for those who died on Bloody Sunday, but some customers had gone in through the back door for a drink. One Catholic civilian, Louis O'Neill (aged 49), was killed. There was initial newspaper speculation that the IRA had bombed the bar because it had not closed fully, and the ''Sutton'' database lists the IRA as responsible.[ However, some believe loyalists were responsible for the attack.
* 5 February 1972: Paul McFadden (aged 31), a Catholic civilian, died six days after being injured in a van bomb explosion at Castle Arcade, off Castle Lane, Belfast.][
* 5 February 1972: Two IRA volunteers (Phelim Grant and Charles McCann) were killed when a bomb they were transporting exploded accidentally on a ]barge
A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...
on Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh ( ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. It has a surface area of and is about long and wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 4 ...
, near Crumlin, County Antrim
Crumlin () is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Geography
Crumlin is 20 miles (32 km) west of Belfast city centre and 3 miles (4.6 km) from Belfast International Airport at Aldergrove. It is part of Antrim and Newtownabbey ...
.[
* 10 February 1972: An IRA volunteer (Joseph Cunningham, aged 26) was killed in a gun battle with the RUC at O'Neill's Road, ]Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey ( ) is a large settlement north of Belfast city centre in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course, but it still forms part of the Belfast metropolitan area ...
, County Antrim.[
* 10 February 1972: Two British soldiers, Ian Harris (aged 26) and David Champ (aged 23), were killed in an IRA ]landmine
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, whi ...
attack on their Armoured Personnel Carrier in Cullyhanna
Cullyhanna () is a small village and townland close to Keady in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The village extends further over the townlands of Tullynavall and Freeduff. It had a population of 306 in the 2001 Census. It is within the Newry an ...
, County Armagh.[
* 13 February 1972: An off-duty British soldier, Thomas McCann (aged 19), from ]Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, was shot dead by the IRA near Newtownbutler
Newtownbutler or Newtown Butler is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the southeast corner of the county, near Lough Erne, the border with County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, and the town of Clones. It is surrounded by ...
, County Fermanagh.[
* 16 February 1972: Thomas Callaghan (aged 45), a Catholic member of the ]Ulster Defence Regiment
The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army established in 1970, with a comparatively short existence ending in 1992. Raised through public appeal, newspaper and television advertisements,Potter p25 their offi ...
, was found shot dead shortly after being abducted while driving a bus along Foyle Road, Derry.[
* 16 February 1972: Michael Prime (aged 18), British Army, was shot dead while on mobile patrol by a sniper by the Moira roundabout on the ]M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...
in County Down.[
* 17 February 1972: Elizabeth English (aged 65), a Catholic civilian, died seven days after being shot during an attempted ambush of a British Army foot patrol, Barrack Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 21 February 1972: Four IRA volunteers (Gerard Bell, Robert Dorrian, Joseph Magee, and Gerard Steele) died in Belfast when a bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely along Knockbreda Road, near the Castlereagh Road roundabout, Belfast.][
* 24 February 1972: The IRA bombed the town hall of ]Strabane
Strabane (; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Strabane had a population of 13,507 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th Open Government Li ...
, County Tyrone and in Belfast bombed a car showroom along the Falls Road which was the third time it was bombed in a year.
* 25 February 1972: An IRA bomb set on fire and destroyed the Hart & Churchill music store in Belfast. The building was never rebuilt.
* 29 February 1972: An off-duty UDR soldier, Henry Dickson (aged 46), was shot dead by the IRA at his home on Lawrence Street, Lurgan, County Armagh.[
]
March
* 1 March 1972: An off-duty UDR soldier, John Fletcher (aged 43), was shot dead by the IRA outside his home at Frevagh, near Garrison, County Fermanagh
Garrison is a village near Lough Melvin in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The Roogagh River runs through the village. In the 2021 census it had a population of 411 people. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.
Toponymy
T ...
.[
* 1 March 1972: A British soldier was shot in the head and seriously wounded when an anti-riot squad was ambushed by a single IRA member at Creggan, Derry.]
* 2 March 1972: A Provisional IRA car bomb exploded at Ferryquay street in Derry. Dozens of commercial premises were damaged and 42 people injured.
* 3 March 1972: A British soldier (Stephen Keating, aged 18) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol, Manor Street, Belfast.[
* 4 March 1972: An IRA volunteer, Albert Kavanagh (aged 18), was shot dead by the RUC during an attempted bomb attack on factory, Boucher Road, Belfast.][
* 4 March 1972: A bomb exploded at the Abercorn Restaurant in Belfast without any warning. Two Catholic civilians (Anne Owens, aged 22, and Janet Bereen, aged 21) were killed and over 100 people maimed and injured. IRA volunteers blamed, but the IRA has never acknowledged responsibility for what may have been a rogue operation.][
* 8 March 1972: A UDR soldier (Joseph Jardine, aged 44), off-duty Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldier, shot dead at his workplace, the Ministry of Agriculture office in Middletown, County Armagh.][
* 9 March 1972: Four IRA volunteers, Gerard Crossen (aged 19), Sean Johnson (aged 19), Anthony Lewis (aged 16), and Thomas McCann (aged 20), were all killed in a premature bomb explosion inside a house on Clonard Street, Lower Falls, Belfast, when a bomb they were assembling exploded accidentally.][
* 14 March 1972: Two IRA volunteers, Colm Keenan (aged 19) and Eugene McGillan (aged 18) were shot dead by the British Army in an entry off Dove Gardens, Bogside, Derry.][
* 14 March 1972: A two-man IRA unit armed with sub-machine guns ambushed a joint British Army/RUC patrol on Brackaville Road outside ]Coalisland
Coalisland () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.
History
Origins
In the late 1 ...
, County Tyrone. Over 50 shots were fired by the unit. The RUC officer, William Logan (aged 23), who was driving the police patrol vehicle was mortally wounded and died the following day.
* 14 March 1972: After the end of a three-day cease fire, an IRA bomb caused widespread damage in the main street of Lisburn
Lisburn ( ; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with t ...
. Three soldiers and an RUC officer were wounded.
* 15 March 1972: Two British soldiers, Christopher Cracknell (aged 29) and Anthony Butcher (aged 24), were killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb hidden in an abandoned car, Grosvenor Road, Belfast.[
* 20 March 1972: Two RUC officers, a British soldier and four civilians were killed when the IRA detonated a car bomb on Donegall Street in Belfast. The warning had been inadequate.][
* 20 March 1972: Royal Green Jackets Rifleman John Taylor (aged 19) was shot dead by an IRA sniper at Lower Road near William Street in Derry.
* 21 March 1972: Two IRA car bombs, each one carrying of explosives, went off in Derry, damaging commercial premises and wounding 26 people, including an RUC constable.]
* 23 March 1972: The IRA detonated two car bombs in Main Street, Bangor, County Down
Bangor ( ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to whic ...
.
* 25 March 1972: An IRA volunteer (Patrick Campbell, aged 16) was shot dead in error by another IRA volunteer, while preparing for an ambush of a British Army patrol at the junction of Springhill Avenue and Springfield Road, Belfast.[
* 28 March 1972: The IRA carried out a car-bomb attack on Limavady RUC base, ]Limavady
Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 11,279 people at the 2021 Census. In the 40 years between 1 ...
, County Londonderry. Joseph Forsythe (aged 57) and Robert McMichael (aged 27), unrelated Protestant civilians, were killed driving past the base when a van bomb explosion was detonated.[
* 29 March 1972: A British soldier (Bernard Calladene, aged 39) was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb hidden inside an abandoned car, Wellington Street, Belfast.][
* 30 March 1972: A Catholic civilian, Martha Crawford (aged 39), was killed in the crossfire of a gun-battle between the IRA and the British Army, Rossnareen Avenue, ]Andersonstown
Andersonstown, known colloquially as Andytown, is a suburb of west Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the foot of the Black Mountain and Divis Mountain. It contains a mixture of public and private housing and is largely a working-class area with a ...
, Belfast.[
]
April
* 5 April 1972: A soldier crewing a vehicular checkpoint was hit in the arm by an IRA sniper at Abercorn road, Derry.
* 6 April 1972: A teenager was shot and wounded by IRA gunmen in the Protestant area of Tates Avenue.
* 7 April 1972: An airborne British army patrol was ambushed in County Londonderry, between Creggan estate and the border, by an IRA unit. An hour-long gun battle ensued, with no casualties reported from either side.
* 7 April 1972: Three IRA volunteers, Samuel Hughes, Charles McCrystal, and John McErlean (all aged 17), were killed in a premature bomb explosion in a garage in Bawnmore Park, Greencastle, Belfast.
* 8 April 1972: A British soldier (Peter Sime, aged 22) on foot patrol was killed in an IRA sniper attack on the Springfield Road, Belfast.[
* 11 April 1972: An IRA volunteer fired a Thompson sub-machine gun at a passing British army patrol at the junction of Eastway and Lone Moor Road. The patrol returned fire. No injuries were reported.
* 13 April 1972: The IRA detonated a car-bomb on Main Street, ]Ballymoney
Ballymoney ( , meaning 'townland of the moor') is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. The civil parish of Ballymoney is situated ...
, County Antrim. Despite a warning to evacuate the area, a Protestant civilian, Elizabeth McAuley (aged 64), was killed.[
* 13 April 1972: A car showroom was utterly destroyed in Belfast after a car bomb was driven into the parking area by an IRA volunteer, who gave the alarm. No one was injured by the explosion.
* 14 April 1972: members of the Provisional IRA destroyed radio equipment used by the Official IRA to broadcast requests for Long Kesh inmates.
* 17 April 1972: A British Army officer and three soldiers were shot and wounded by an IRA unit at Divis Flats, Belfast. A nine-year-old boy was also injured.
* 17 April 1972: A 20-year-old student teacher (Patrick McGee) was killed by the British Army in the course of an exchange of fire with an IRA unit in Divis Flats.
* 19 April 1972: An off-duty UDR soldier, James Elliott (aged 36), was abducted and killed by the IRA near ]Newtownhamilton
Newtownhamilton is a small village and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies predominantly within Tullyvallan townland. The civil parish is within the historic barony of Fews Upper. In the 2011 Census it had 2,836 inhabit ...
, County Armagh. He was found shot dead by the side of the road at Altnamackan, near Newtownhamilton.
* 19 April 1972: A Catholic civilian, Martin Owens (aged 22), was found dead shortly after being thrown from a car, Horn Drive, Suffolk, Belfast.[
* 25 April 1972: A British soldier, Joseph Gold (aged 29), died four days after being shot in an IRA gun-attack on a British Army Vehicle Check Point, Donegall Road, Belfast.][
* 29 April 1972: A Catholic civilian (Rosaleen Gavin, aged 8) was killed in the crossfire during an IRA sniper attack on the British Army base at Oldpark Road, Belfast.][
]
May
* 1 May 1972: A man, reported to be an IRA member, was shot and wounded in the legs in a punishment attack in Derry. The IRA claimed he was a thief.
* 3 May 1972: The British Army reported 29 shooting incidents involving the IRA on the previous night. Two soldiers were wounded in the Springfield area of Belfast, while a military observation post was raked with gunfire at Corry's timber yard.
* 4 May 1972: Three RUC officers on a mobile patrol were wounded in an IRA machine gun attack in Derry.
* 9 May 1972: The British Army reported that five IRA members launched 18 small-arms attacks on a military post at Bligh's Lane, Derry.
* 10 May 1972: An IRA bomb set a fire that destroyed the Belfast Co-operative store.
* 11 May 1972: A British soldier (John Ballard, aged 18) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on patrol, Sultan Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.[
* 13 May 1972: An IRA volunteer (John Starrs, aged 19) was shot dead in a gun-battle with the British Army on William Street, Derry City.][
* 13 May 1972: A British soldier (Alan Buckley, aged 22) was shot dead in a gun-battle with the IRA in Ballymurphy, Belfast.][
* 14 May 1972: A Protestant civilian (John Pedlow, aged 17), died one day after being shot during a gun battle between IRA volunteers and loyalists, Springmartin Road, Belfast.][
* 14 May 1972: Two commercial areas of Derry were bombed by the IRA. A four-storey building and a neighbouring shop were set on fire.
* 17 May 1972: A British soldier (Ronald Hurst, aged 25), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while repairing a damaged perimeter fence at the British Army base in Crossmaglen, County Armagh.][
* 18 May 1972: A British soldier (John Hillman, aged 28) died three days after being shot by a sniper, Flax Street, Ardoyne, Belfast.][
* 20 May 1972: A UDR soldier (Henry Gillespie, aged 32), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on mobile patrol at Killyliss, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.][
* 23 May 1972: A British soldier (Eustace Handley, aged 20) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol, Springhill Avenue, Ballymurphy, Belfast.][
* 26 May 1972: The IRA detonated a car-bomb on Oxford Street in Belfast. A Protestant civilian (Margaret Young, aged 64) was killed in the explosion.][
* 28 May 1972: Four IRA volunteers (Joseph Fitzsimmons (aged 17), John McIlhone (aged 17), Edward McDonnell (aged 29), and Martin Engelen (aged 19)), along with four Catholic civilians (Henry Crawford (aged 39), Mary Clarke (aged 27), John Nugent (aged 31), and Geraldine McMahon (aged 17)) were killed when a bomb being prepared detonated prematurely inside a house on Anderson Street, Short Strand, Belfast.][
* 30 May 1972: A Protestant civilian, Joan Scott (12), died three days after being shot during an IRA sniper attack on a RUC mobile patrol, Oldpark Road, Belfast.][
* 30 May 1972: A British Army soldier, Marcel Doglay (aged 28), was killed when a time bomb exploded inside the Springfield Road RUC/British Army base, Belfast.
* 31 May 1972: A British Army soldier on mobile patrol, Michael Bruce (aged 27), was shot dead by an IRA sniper, Kennedy Way, Andersonstown, Belfast.][
]
June
* 2 June 1972: Two British Army soldiers, Victor Husband (aged 23) and Brian Robertson (aged 23) were killed by an IRA land mine attack on their foot patrol at Derryvolan, near Rosslea, County Fermanagh.[
* 6 June 1972: Two British Army soldiers were killed in separate IRA sniper attacks in Belfast. George Lee (aged 22), shot by sniper while on foot patrol, Ballymurphy Parade, Ballymurphy, Belfast. Charles Coleman (aged 29) was shot by a sniper while on mobile patrol, Tullymore Gardens, Andersonstown, Belfast.][
* 8 June 1972: A member of the ]Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
, Samuel Donegan (aged 61), was killed when he set off an IRA booby-trap bomb left by the side of a road. He had inadvertently strayed a few yards across the border into Legakelly, near Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh.[
* 8 June 1972: A UDR soldier on mobile patrol, Edward Megahey (aged 44), died three days after being shot by an IRA sniper on Buncrana Road, Derry.][
* 9 June 1972: An off-duty UDR soldier, Roy Stanton (aged 27), was shot dead as he left his workplace, the Autolite factory on Finaghy Road North, Belfast.][
* 11 June 1972: Colonel ]Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination by Libyan rebel forces in 2011. He came to power ...
announced he had supplied arms to "revolutionaries" in Ireland. There were shooting incidents across Belfast and Northern Ireland, including a gun battle between loyalist and republican paramilitaries in the Oldpark area of Belfast. A Catholic civilian (John Madden, aged 24) was shot dead outside his shop on Oldpark Road, Belfast. An Irish Republican Army Youth Section (IRAF) volunteer (Joseph Campbell (aged 16) was shot dead during a gun battle at Eskdale Gardens, Ardoyne, Belfast. A Protestant civilian (Norman McGrath, aged 18) was shot from a passing British Army Armoured Personnel Carrier as he walked along Alloa Street, Lower Oldpark, Belfast. A British soldier (Peter Raistrick, aged 18) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while at the Brooke Park British Army base, Derry.[
* 12 June 1972: A British Army soldier, Alan Giles (24), was shot dead by the IRA during a gun-battle in the Ardoyne area of Belfast.]
* 17 June 1972: The IRA exploded a 150–200 lb car bomb
A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles.
Car bombs can be roug ...
outside the Woodvale Arms public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
at the end of the Shankill Road
The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.
The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast ...
, Belfast. 18 people were injured in the blast despite a 20-minute warning.
* 18 June 1972: Three British soldiers (Arthur McMillan (aged 37), Ian Mutch (aged 31) and Colin Leslie (aged 26)) were killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack. The bomb had been left in a derelict house in Bleary, County Armagh.[
* 19 June 1972: An associate of the Official IRA (Desmond Mackin, aged 37) was shot dead by the Provisional IRA during a dispute in the Cracked Cup Social Club, Leeson Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 19 June 1972: A British soldier, Bryan Sodden (aged 21), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on mobile patrol, Brompton Park, Ardoyne, Belfast.][
* 21 June 1972: A British soldier, Kerry McCarthy (aged 19), was shot dead while on sentry duty outside Victoria Royal Ulster Constabulary/British Army base, Derry.][
* 24 June 1972: A bomb and gun attack occurred in the early morning of 24 June 1972, in the village of Crabarkey along the main A6 Belfast to Derry road just outside Dungiven. An army Land Rover was escorting a lorry that was transporting a crippled helicopter, damaged in a crash landing, toward ]RAF Aldergrove
Aldergrove Flying Station, also known previously as JHC FS Aldergrove, is a British military base located south of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, Northern Ireland and northwest of Belfast, and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is som ...
in County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
. IRA volunteers detonated a bomb hidden in two milk churns as the convoy passed, catching seven soldiers in the blast, killing three and injuring four of them. Immediately after the blast, the IRA opened fire on the lorry that had been following the Land Rover and three more soldiers including a helicopter pilot were injured. The three soldiers killed in the blast were Lance-Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal.
Etymology
The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...
David Moon (24) of No. 664 Squadron AAC
664 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), Army Air Corps. It was formerly No. 664 Squadron, a Royal Air Force air observation post squadron associated with the First Canadian Army, Canadian 1st Army du ...
, Private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
Christopher Stevenson (24) of the Parachute Regiment and Sergeant Stuart Reid (28) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers".
History
Prior t ...
. Malachy Bernard O'Kane, a farmer, was convicted of the attack and was ordered to serve at least 25 years of a life term. O'Kane was later released from prison and unsuccessfully ran as a Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
Candidate for Parliament in the 1997 general election.
* 26 June 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on mobile-patrol in the Short Strand area of Belfast.[
* 26 June–8 July 1972: The IRA declared a ceasefire in order to allow talks with the British government.
* 27 June 1972: A civilian was shot dead by the IRA after attempting to drive through one of their vehicle checkpoints.][
]
July
* 4 July 1972: The IRA issued a statement where they reported the death of volunteer Denis Quinn, shot and killed by accident while on an IRA patrol near Coalisland, County Tyrone.
* 7 July 1972: A civilian was shot dead after crashing his car into an IRA roadblock.
* 7 July 1972: Two British Army captains were captured while off duty by an IRA patrol in Derry. The two officers were interrogated and released unharmed 18 hours later. The British Army set up a board of inquiry on the issue.
* 9 July 1972: A UDA member was shot dead by the IRA in the Markets area of Belfast.[
* 10 July 1972: Five IRA bombs exploded in commercial areas of Derry, marking the end of the 26 June ceasefire.
* 11 July 1972: A British soldier was shot dead in an IRA gun attack in Derry.][
* 13 July 1972: Four British soldiers and an IRA volunteer were killed in various gun-battles across Belfast. The British Army also killed two armed men.][
* 14 July 1972: An IRA volunteer was shot dead in a gun battle with the British Army. Also killed in the exchange of fire were three British soldiers, an OIRA volunteer and a civilian.][ See: Battle of Lenadoon
* 15 July 1972: Two British soldiers were killed in separate IRA attacks in Belfast and Silverbridge, in South Armagh.][ ]William Whitelaw
William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw (28 June 1918 – 1 July 1999) was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983 and as '' de fac ...
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, speaking at the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
, claimed the IRA had six rocket launchers in its inventory to this date.
* 16 July 1972: Two British soldiers were killed in an IRA landmine attack on their armoured vehicle in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. In Belfast an RUC officer was killed in an IRA gun attack on his patrol car. A member of the IRA Youth Section ( Na Fianna), was killed by a rubber bullet fired by security forces in Strabane, County Tyrone.[
* 18 July 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper at the British Army base in Ballymurphy, Belfast. The IRA also shot dead a civilian who attempted to stop a bomb attack on a building in Belfast.]
* 18 July 1972: Almost 30 shooting incidents were reported overnight by the British Army between soldiers crewing military outposts and IRA volunteers in the Bogside, Derry.
* 19 July 1972: A five-month-old boy, Alan Jack, was killed when an IRA car bomb exploded on Canal Street in Strabane. He was the youngest victim of the Troubles up to that point.
* 19 July 1972: A Protestant civilian (Henry Gray, aged 71), was shot dead by IRA members while trying to prevent the bombing of a bar in Springfield Road, Belfast.
* 20 July 1972: A Protestant civilian, (Robert Leggett, aged 50) was shot dead attempting to stop an IRA bomb attack on his business premises, Springfield Road, Belfast.[
* 21 July 1972: On " Bloody Friday" 22 bombs in Belfast killed two British soldiers, a UDA member and six civilians and injured 130 others. The IRA officially apologised for this set of attacks in 2002. An IRA volunteer was killed in a gun battle with British troops in the Markets area of Belfast.
* 21 July 1972: A number of car bombs exploded in Derry. No casualties were reported.]
* 21 July 1972: A train was derailed and the Belfast-Dublin railway was blocked by the explosion of an IRA bomb in Portadown.
* 23 July 1972: A UDR soldier was kidnapped and shot dead by the IRA in the Ardoyne area of Belfast.
* 24 July 1972: A Chinese restaurant was destroyed by an IRA bomb in the Dockside area of Derry. As British troops arrived on the scene they were ambushed by a sniper. One civilian was wounded in the crossfire.
* 24 July 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper in Ballymurphy, Belfast.
* 26 July 1972: A British soldier was shot dead in an IRA attack on a British foot-patrol in the Unity Flats, Belfast.
* 28 July 1972: An IRA volunteer was shot dead by a British sniper while sitting in a car outside the "Starry Plough Bar" in Belfast.
* 29 July 1972: The IRA opened fire on a British army observation post in the Derry's walls.
* 29 July 1972: A customs caravan and a car showroom were bombed in Derry.
* 31 July 1972: Three car bombs exploded in the Claudy bombings, killing nine people on Claudy
Claudy () is a village and townland (of 1,154 acres) in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the Faughan Valley, southeast of Derry, where the River Glenrandal joins the River Faughan. It is situated in the civil parish of Cumber ...
High Street near Derry. The IRA have always denied involvement, but they are believed to have been responsible. In Operation Motorman
Operation Motorman was a large operation carried out by the British Army ( HQ Northern Ireland) in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The operation took place in the early hours of 31 July 1972 with the aim of retaking the "no-go areas" (ar ...
, the biggest British military operation since the Suez crisis
The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...
, the army used 12,000 soldiers supported by tanks and bulldozers to dismantle barricades and take IRA held "no go areas" in Belfast and Derry.
August
* 3 August 1972: An IRA volunteer and a British soldier were killed in separate attacks in Belfast and Tyrone.[
* 4 August 1972: A British soldier was killed by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol in the Andersonstown area of Belfast.][
* 7 August 1972: Four British soldiers were killed in three separate IRA attacks across Northern Ireland.][
* 7 August 1972: The British army claimed that the IRA launched a rocket attack on La Salle school, in Andersontown, Belfast. The building had been converted to be used by the military. The IRA claimed instead that two 50 lb bombs were planted in the facilities.]
* 9 August 1972: An IRA volunteer was killed when a bomb exploded accidentally in a garage in Newry.[
* 11 August 1972: Two IRA volunteers died when the van bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely in the Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 14 August 1972: Two British soldiers were killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack at Casement Park British Army base in Belfast. A civilian was also killed in the crossfire between an IRA unit and a British patrol in the Ardoyne area of Belfast.][
* 17 August 1972: A bomb planted by the IRA wrecked a crowded bar at Agnes Street, in Shankill Road. There were 55 injuries and damage to 35 surrounding residences.]
* 17 August 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by the IRA in a sniper attack just off the Grosvenor Road in Belfast.[
* 18 August 1972: Two British soldiers were killed in separate IRA sniper attacks in Belfast. The first soldier was killed while on mobile patrol at Excise street off the Grosvenor Road, the second soldier was killed at the junction of Beechmount Avenue & the Falls Road while manning a vehicle checkpoint.][
* 22 August 1972: The IRA shot dead a member of the Loyalist Association of Workers on Turin Street in Belfast.][
* 22 August 1972: Nine people were killed when a bomb exploded prematurely at a customs post in Newry. Among the dead were two lorry drivers, four customs staff, and three IRA volunteers.][
* 23 August 1972: A British soldier was shot dead in an IRA sniper attack in the Andersonstown area of Belfast.][
* 23 August 1972: A British soldier and four civilians were shot and wounded in Belfast, Hollywood and Lurgan.]
* 24 August 1972: A British soldier was killed in an IRA landmine attack on a British mobile-patrol in Crossmaglen, County Armagh.[
* 25 August 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper in the Shantallow area of Derry.][
* 26 August 1972: Two UDR soldiers were killed in an IRA remote controlled bomb attack in Cherrymount, County Fermanagh.][
* 26 August 1972: Two IRA volunteers died in a premature bomb explosion in ]Downpatrick
Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...
, County Down.[
* 27 August 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper in Creggan Heights, Derry.][
* 28 August 1972: A British soldier was shot dead in an IRA sniper attack on Beechmount Avenue in Belfast.][ A civilian was also killed when he triggered a booby-trap bomb near his farm in County Fermanagh. It was reported that the bomb had been intended for soldiers who were patrolling the area following reports of gunfire.
* 30 August 1972: Two British soldiers were killed in separate IRA gun and bomb attacks in Belfast.][
]
September
* 10 September 1972: three British soldiers were killed in an IRA landmine attack on a British Army armoured personnel carrier near Dungannon, County Tyrone.[
* 14 September 1972: five PIRA bombs were planted throughout Belfast with four of them detonating, one of the bombs was detonated by remote controlled explosion by the British Army's bomb disposal team.
* 15 September 1972: a British soldier was shot dead in an IRA sniper attack in the Bogside area of Derry.]
* 16 September 1972: British soldiers manning security post within the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital trade fire with three IRA units at night. One man was wounded.
* 17 September 1972: an IRA volunteer was shot dead by the British Army during a riot in the Creggan area of Derry.[
* 18 September 1972: a British soldier was shot dead in an IRA gun attack while on foot-patrol in the Lecky Road area of Derry.][
* 20 September 1972: a British soldier was killed in a gun battle with the IRA on Springhill Avenue in Ballymurphy, Belfast.][
* 21 September 1972: a UDR soldier and his wife were killed in an IRA gun attack on their home in ]Derrylin
Derrylin ( or "Oakgrove of the blackbirds") is a village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is on the A509 road between Enniskillen and the border with County Cavan (the N3 road to Dublin). It had a population of 634 in t ...
, County Fermanagh.[
* 21 September 1972: IRA commander Eddie Campbell was captured by British troops in a house at Jamaica street.
* 22 September 1972: a British soldier was killed in an IRA sniper attack in Crossmaglen, County Armagh.][
* 27 September 1972: a British soldier was killed in an IRA gun attack in Derry. A civilian was killed in an IRA gun attack at the corner of Ligoniel Road and Mill Avenue, Belfast.][
* 29 September 1972: an IRA volunteer and a British soldier were killed in a gun-battle in the Lower Falls area of Belfast.][
* 30 September 1972: a British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper in the Ardoyne area of Belfast.][
]
October
* 2 October 1972: an undercover
A cover in foreign, military or police human intelligence or counterintelligence is the ostensible identity and role or position in an infiltrated organization assumed by a covert agent during a covert operation.
Official cover
In espionage, a ...
British soldier (Edward Stuart, aged 20) was shot dead by the IRA while driving laundry van, Juniper Park, Twinbrook, Belfast.[
* 2 October 1972: the IRA kidnapped three alleged informers (Edward Bonner, Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright), who were later killed and buried.][
* 6 October 1972: an IRA volunteer (Daniel McAreavey, aged 21) was killed during an IRA attack on a British Army base, Osman Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 10 October 1972: an off-duty UDR soldier (John Ruddy, aged 50) was shot dead by the IRA outside his home at Dromalane Park, Newry, County Down.][
* 10 October 1972: three IRA volunteers died (John Donaghy, Patrick Maguire and Joseph McKinney) when a bomb they were assembling exploded in a house, Balkan Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 13 October 1972: an off-duty RUC officer (Robert Nicholl, aged 22) was shot dead by the British army while driving his car along Castle Street in Belfast.][
* 18 October 1972: a British soldier (Anthony David, aged 27) died four weeks after being shot by an IRA sniper while on mobile-patrol, Falls Road, Belfast.][
* 22 October 1972: an off-duty UDR soldier (John Bell, aged 21) was shot dead by the IRA on his farm at Derrydoon, near Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh.][
* 22 October 1972: two barges were bombed and sunk by the IRA at ]Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh ( ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. It has a surface area of and is about long and wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 4 ...
with a loss of £80,000.
* 24 October 1972: two British soldiers were killed in separate IRA sniper and bomb attacks in Belfast and Armagh.[
* 28 October 1972: a British soldier (Thomas McKay, aged 29), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol on Bishop Street, Derry.][
* 31 October 1971: a British soldier (Richard Sinclair, aged 19) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol, Antrim Road, New Lodge, Belfast.][
]
November
* 8 November 1972: a UDR soldier (Irwin Long, aged 29) was shot dead by the IRA while driving his car along Lake Street, Lurgan, County Armagh.[
* 10 November 1972: a British soldier (Ronald Kitchen, aged 20) was shot dead by the IRA while manning a vehicle checkpoint, Oldpark Road, Belfast.][
* 13 November 1972: an IRA volunteer (Stanislaus Carberry, aged 34), was shot dead by the British Army while driving his car along La Salle Drive, near Falls Road, Belfast.][
* 14 November 1972: a British soldier (Stanley Evans, aged 19) was shot dead by the IRA as he stood guarding homes being raided by the British Army, Stanhope Street, Unity Flats, Belfast.][
* 16 November 1972: an RUC officer (Joseph Calvin, aged 42) was killed by an under-car booby trap bomb which detonated in car park, Quay Lane, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.][
* 20 November 1972: two British soldiers, William Watson (aged 28) and James Strothers (aged 31), were killed by a booby-trap bomb hidden in an abandoned house in Cullyhanna, County Armagh.][
* 22 November 1972: an off-duty UDR soldier (Samuel Porter, aged 30) was shot dead by the IRA at his home, Ballinahone, near Maghera, County Londonderry.][
* 28 November 1972: the IRA fired 15 rockets at ten security posts throughout Northern Ireland. One RUC officer (Robert Keys, aged 55) was killed in a rocket attack on the RUC/British Army base in ]Belleek, County Fermanagh
Belleek (Flanagan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 182. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a large village and civil parish in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. While the greater part of the village lies within County Fermanagh, part ...
. This marks the first recorded use of an RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket launcher. The RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and are now manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt. The weapon has t ...
by the IRA. Two IRA volunteers, John Brady (aged 21) and James Carr (aged 19), were killed in a premature bomb explosion in the Bogside, Derry. A British Army bomb disposal expert, Paul Jackson (aged 21), was killed while attempting to defuse an IRA bomb, Strand Road, Derry.[
]
December
* 5 December 1972: the IRA fired 15 rockets and mortars at security posts throughout Northern Ireland. An off-duty UDR soldier (William Bogle, aged 27) was shot dead by the IRA outside a post office, Main Street, Killeter, near Castlederg, County Tyrone.[
* 6 December 1972: eleven British soldiers were hurt when their APC was hit by a rocket in the Lower Falls district of Belfast. One of them lost an arm. Another three soldiers were hurt in a gun attack on their APC in the Ballymurphy district of Belfast.
* 7 December 1972: a widowed mother of ten, ]Jean McConville
Jean McConville (''née'' Murray; 7 May 1934 – 1 December 1972) was a woman from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who was kidnapped and murdered by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and secretly buried in County Louth in the Republic of Ire ...
, was kidnapped and shot dead by an IRA squad, purportedly for being an informer, although her family denied the claim. Her remains were missing for many years until it was recovered and interred next to her late husband. The IRA denied any involvement in the killing until the 1990s, when it issued an acknowledgement and helped to locate the body. An investigation many years later by N.I. Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan
Nuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, (born 20 December 1951), is a public figure in Northern Ireland. From 1999 to 2007, she was the first Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. In July 2009, it was announced that she was to be appointed t ...
found no evidence she had been an informer.
* 8 December 1972: a British soldier (John Joesbury, aged 18) died two days after being shot by the IRA while on mobile patrol, Whiterock Road, Ballymurphy, Belfast.[
* 10 December 1972: a British soldier (Stewart Middlemass, aged 33) was killed by a booby-trapped bomb attached to a rocket launcher by the IRA at Fort Monagh British Army, Turf Lodge, Belfast.][
* 13 December 1972: an off-duty RUC officer (James Nixon, aged 49) was shot dead by the IRA outside the Chester Park Hotel, Antrim Road, Belfast.][
* 16 December 1972: an IRA volunteer (Louis Leonard, aged 26) was shot dead by loyalists at his butchers shop in Derrylin, County Fermanagh.][
* 18 December 1972: ]Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...
councillor, who was also a member of the Police Authority, William Johnston (aged 48), was kidnapped from his home on the Drumarg estate, Armagh. He was found shot dead a short time later at Knockbane, near Middletown, County Armagh.[
* 20 December 1972: an off-duty UDR soldier (George Hamilton, aged 28) was shot dead by the IRA at his workplace, a building site at Kildoag, Claudy, County Londonderry.][
* 24 December 1972: a British soldier (Colin Harker, aged 23) died three months after being shot by an IRA sniper on Lecky Road, Derry. He was injured on 14 September 1972.][
* 27 December 1972: an IRA volunteer (Eugene Devlin, aged 22) was killed by the British Army during an attempted sniper attack on their patrol on Townsend Street, Strabane, County Tyrone.][
* 28 December 1972: an IRA volunteer (James McDaid, aged 30) was shot dead by the British Army while walking across a field at Ballyarnet, County Londonderry.][
]
1973
* 1 January 1973: a rocket hit Springfield Road RUC base in Belfast, injuring two people. The following night, another rocket was fired at Beragh RUC base, County Tyrone. It missed the target and hit an unoccupied house nearby.
* 4 January 1973: a UDR soldier (James Hood, aged 48) was shot dead by the IRA outside his home in Straidarran, near Feeny, County Londonderry.
* 5 January 1973: a civilian (Trevor Rankin, aged 18) was shot dead by the IRA outside a Ben Madigan filling station, Shore Road, Belfast. He had been mistaken for an off-duty UDR soldier.[
* 14 January 1973: three RUC constables (David Dorsett, Henry Sandford, and Mervyn Wilson) were killed in separate IRA bomb attacks in Cappagh and Derry City.][
* 15 January 1973: an off-duty UDR soldier (David Bingham, aged 22) was kidnapped while driving his car along Grosvenor Road, Belfast, and shot dead by the IRA. His body was found the next day, 16 January, in an abandoned car on Institution Place, off Durham Street, Belfast.][
* 18 January 1973: an IRA volunteer (Francis Liggett, aged 25) was shot dead by the British Army during an attempted robbery in the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.][
* 18 January 1973: a Soviet-made anti-rocket was fired to a British Army outpost in the junction of Louisa Street and Oldpark Road, Belfast. This was the second rocket attack in the district since the IRA add this weapon to its inventory.
* 25 January 1973: William Staunton (aged 46), a resident magistrate died of his injuries three months after being shot on 11 October 1972 outside St Dominic's School, Falls Road, Belfast.][
* 26 January 1973: a UDR Land Rover was hit by an IRA grenade and gunfire near Whitecross, County Armagh. Three soldiers were hurt. Another soldier was badly wounded by a sniper while patrolling in Lurgan, County Armagh.
* 30 January 1973: a UDA member, Francis Smith (aged 28), was kidnapped and shot dead by the IRA near Rodney Parade, Belfast, allegedly in response to the killing by loyalists of a 15-year-old Catholic boy (Peter Watterson), the previous day.][
* 1 February 1973: a British soldier (William Boardley, aged 30) was shot dead in an IRA sniper attack while he was manning a Vehicle Check Point (VCP) on Meeting House Street, Strabane, County Tyrone.][
* 2 February 1973: James Greer (aged 21), a Protestant civilian, was shot at his workplace, a paint store, off Springfield Road, Belfast. Reason remains unknown. The body of Patrick Brady, a member of the Catholic Ex-Servicemen's Association, was found the same day in an abandoned car, Maurice Street, off Springfield Road, Belfast.][
* 2 February 1973: a UDA member (Robert Burns, aged 18), was killed in an IRA drive-by gun attack on the Oldpark Road, Belfast.][
* 4 February 1973: an IRA volunteer (Anthony Campbell, aged 19) and three Catholic civilians, Ambrose Hardy (26), Brendan Maguire (33), and John Loughran (35), were shot dead by British Army snipers in New Lodge, Belfast.][
* 6 February 1973: a British soldier (Michael Murtagh, aged 22) was killed in an IRA rocket attack on an Armoured Personnel Carrier, Servia Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 7 February 1973: a UDA member (Glenn Clarke, aged 18) was kidnapped by the IRA and later found shot dead off Hallidays Road, New Lodge, Belfast.][
* 8 February 1973: an RUC officer (Charles Morrison, aged 26) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while sitting in stationary patrol car in Dungannon, County Tyrone.][
* 10 February 1973: two IRA volunteers, Leonard O'Hanlon (aged 23) and Vivienne Fitzsimmons (aged 17), were killed when a bomb they were assembling exploded prematurely in the grounds of Castleward National Trust Estate, near ]Strangford
Strangford (from Old Norse ''Strangr fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet") is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough, on the Lecale peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 at the 2001 census.
On th ...
, County Down.[
* 14 February 1973: a British soldier (Edwin Weston, aged 20) was shot dead by an IRA while patrolling the Divis Flats complex, West Belfast.][
* 20 February 1973: two British soldiers, Malcolm Shaw (aged 23) and Robert Pearson (aged 19), were shot dead when their mobile-patrol was ambushed by IRA snipers in Cupar Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 21 February 1973: a British soldier (Michael Doyle, aged 20) was killed in an IRA gun attack on Fort Pegasus British Army base, Whiterock, Belfast.][
* 25 February 1973: a child, Gordon Gallagher (aged 9), was killed after he accidentally triggered an IRA booby trap bomb which had been planted at the rear of his home, Leenan Gardens, Creggan, Derry.][
* 27 February 1973: two RUC officers, Raymond Wylie (aged 25) and Ronald Macauley (42) were shot dead while on mobile patrol during an IRA sniper attack at Aghagallon, near Moira, County Antrim.][
* 28 February 1973: a British soldier (Alan Kennington, aged 20) was killed in an IRA gun attack while on foot-patrol, Crumlin Road, ]Ardoyne
Ardoyne () is a working class and mainly Roman Catholic Church, Catholic and Irish republicanism, Irish republican district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1920 the adjacent area of Marrowbone saw at multiple days of communal violence be ...
, Belfast.[
* 3 March 1973: an off-duty UDR soldier (David Deacon, aged 39) was shot dead by the IRA in Mullennan, County Londonderry.][
* 4 March 1973: a British soldier (Gary Barlow, aged 19) was tortured and later shot dead after being abducted by the IRA while his Army unit was raiding homes on Albert Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 6 March 1973: a British soldier (Anton Brown, aged 22) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while patrolling Whitecliff Crescent, Ballymurphy, Belfast. Another British soldier (Joseph Leahy, aged 31) was wounded by an IRA booby-trap bomb planted in a derelict house in Mullaghbawn, near ]Forkill
Forkhill or Forkill ( , ; ) is a small village and civil parish in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the Ring of Gullion and in the 2011 Census it had a recorded population of 498. The population increased to 550 at the time ...
, County Armagh. He died two days later, on 8 March 1973.[
* 8 March 1973: the Provisional IRA conducted its first operation in England, planting four car bombs in London. Two bombs exploded, killing one person and injuring 265 others. Ten members of the IRA team, including ]Gerry Kelly
Gerard Kelly (; born 5 April 1953) is an Irish republican politician and former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer who played a leading role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998. He is cur ...
and sisters Dolours and Marian Price
Marian Price (born 1954), also known by her married name as Marian McGlinchey, is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer.
Born into a Republican family in Belfast, Price joined the IRA in 1971, along with her sister Dolo ...
, were arrested at Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
trying to leave the country.
* 8 March 1973: a British soldier (John Green, aged 21) was shot dead by the IRA while guarding a polling station, Slate Street School, Lower Falls, Belfast.[
* 13 March 1973: a British soldier (John King, aged 22) was killed by an IRA booby trap bomb while on foot-patrol at Coolderry, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.][
* 16 March 1973: an off-duty UDR soldier driving his car (William Kenny, aged 28) was kidnapped by the IRA at Halliday's Road, New Lodge, Belfast. Found shot dead a short time later in entry off Edlingham Street, New Lodge.][
* 17 March 1973: a British soldier (Michael Gay, aged 21) was killed in an IRA landmine attack on his armoured patrol at Parkanaur, near ]Dungannon
Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...
, County Tyrone.[
* 17 March 1973: IRA bomb exploded in the Spar Supermarket, William Street, Lurgan.
* 23 March 1973: three British soldiers, Barrington Foster (aged 28), Michael Muldoon (aged 25), and Thomas Penrose (aged 28), were shot dead by the IRA in a house on Antrim Road, Belfast, to which the soldiers had been lured.][
* 26 March 1973: the IRA fired four rockets at British Army and RUC targets. One was fired at a British ]Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
APC near the border, one at an RUC Land Rover near the border and another at a British Army patrol in Belfast.
* 27 March 1973: a British soldier (Andrew Somerville, aged 20) was killed in an IRA landmine attack on a British mobile patrol in Ballymacilroy, near Ballygawley, County Tyrone
Ballygawley or Ballygawly () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is about 20 kilometres southwest of Dungannon, near the meeting of the A5 Derry–Dublin and A4 Dungannon–Enniskillen roads.
Geography
An American visitor i ...
.[
* 27 March 1973: Patrick McCabe (aged 16), a member of the Irish Republican Army Youth Section, was shot dead by a British Army sniper while walking along Etna Drive, Ardoyne, Belfast.][
* 29 March 1973: a British soldier (Michael Marr, aged 33) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol in Andersonstown, Belfast.][
* 7 April 1973: two British soldiers, Terence Brown (aged 26) and Steven Harrison (aged 26), were killed in an IRA landmine attack on a British armoured mobile patrol at Tullyogallaghan, near Newtownhamilton, County Armagh.][
* 9 April 1973: a British soldier (Charles Marchant, aged 18) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol on North Street, ]Lurgan
Lurgan () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and roughly southwest of Belfast. The town is linked to Belfast by both the M1 motorway (Northern Ireland), M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin rail ...
, County Armagh. He had previously been injured on 26 January 1973, also in Lurgan.[
* 11 April 1973: a British soldier (Keith Evans, aged 20) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol on Westland Street in ]the Bogside
The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Féile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are po ...
, Derry.[
* 12 April 1973: an IRA volunteer (Edward O'Rawe, aged 27) was shot dead by the British Army at the rear of a house on Cape Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.][
* 17 April 1973: an IRA volunteer (Brian Smyth, aged 32) was shot dead by a British Army sniper while standing with group of men, Etna Drive, Ardoyne, Belfast.][
* 19 April 1973: a Catholic civilian (Anthony McDowell, aged 12) was shot dead by the British Army during a gun battle between British Army and the IRA, Alliance Avenue, Ardoyne, Belfast.][
* 20 April 1973: a British soldier was shot by an IRA sniper in New Lodge, Belfast, but survived. A British post was hit by a rocket and then raked with gunfire in Ballymurphy, Belfast. There were no other casualties.
* 28 April 1973: a British soldier (Kerry Venn, aged 23) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol, Carn Hill, Shantallow, Derry City.][
* 29 April 1973: a British soldier, Graham Cox (aged 19), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on mobile-patrol, New Lodge Road, New Lodge, Belfast.][
* 3 May 1973: a British soldier (Thomas Crump, aged 27) died one day after being shot by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol at the junction of Foyle Road and Bishop Street, Derry City.][
* 5 May 1973: three British soldiers (John Gibbons, William Vines, and Terence Williams) were killed by a booby trap landmine attack on their foot patrol at Moybane, near ]Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ir ...
, County Armagh.[
* 10 May 1973: an off-duty UDR soldier, Franklin Caddoo (aged 24) was shot dead by the IRA at his farm at Rehaghy, near ]Aughnacloy, County Tyrone
Aughnacloy, sometimes spelt Auchnacloy (Irish language, Irish: ''Achadh na Cloiche'', meaning 'field of the stone'), is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Close to the Irish border, border with County Monaghan in the Republic of Ire ...
.[
* 10 May 1973: an IRA volunteer, Anthony Ahern, a native of ]County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
, was killed when a landmine he was preparing at Mullanahinch, near Rosslea, County Fermanagh, exploded prematurely.[
* 13 May 1973: two British soldiers, Thomas Taylor (aged 26) and John Gaskell (aged 22), were killed when the IRA detonated a remote-controlled bomb as their foot patrol passed by a disused factory on the Donegall Road, Belfast.][
* 13 May 1973: in County Tyrone, an IRA volunteer, Kevin Kilpatrick (aged 21), was shot dead when he attempted to smash his car through a UDR Vehicle Check Point (VCP) on The Diamond, near ]Coagh
Coagh ( ; ) is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, five miles (8 km) east of Cookstown. Part of the village also extends into County Londonderry. It had a population of 545 people in the 2001 census. It owes its existence ...
.[
* 14 May 1973: a civilian, Roy Rutherford (aged 33), was killed after triggering an IRA booby-trap bomb, intended for the security forces; the bomb had been hidden in a derelict cottage on Moy Road, Portadown, County Armagh.][
* 17 May 1973: four off-duty British Army soldiers (Barry Cox, Arthur Place, Derek Reed, and Sheridan Young) were killed by a booby trap bomb while getting into a car outside the Knock-na-Moe Castle Hotel, ]Omagh
Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...
, County Tyrone; a fifth soldier (Frederick Drake) died of his injuries on 3 June.
* 18 May 1973: an IRA volunteer (Sean McKee, aged 17) was shot dead by the British Army while carrying out a sniper attack on a British patrol on Fairfield Street, Ardoyne, Belfast.[
* 24 May 1973: two British soldiers, John Wallace (aged 32) and Ian Donald (aged 35), were killed in an IRA remote-controlled bomb attack as they searched houses in ]Cullaville
Cullaville or Culloville ( or McCulloch's ville or town is a small village and townland near Crossmaglen in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the southernmost settlement in the county and one of the southernmost in Northern Ireland, straddl ...
, County Armagh.[
* 26 May 1973: Paul Crummey (aged 4) was killed during an IRA sniper attack on a British Army foot patrol on Finaghy Road North, Belfast.][
* 5 June 1973: the IRA shot dead a patrolling RUC officer (David Purvis, aged 22) on Belmore Street, ]Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...
, County Fermanagh.[
* 5 June 1973: a civilian, Terence Herdman (aged 17) was found shot dead near ]Clogher
Clogher (; , ) is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne ...
, County Tyrone. The IRA claimed he was an informer.[
* 12 June 1973: six Protestant civilians (Francis and Dinah Campbell, Elizabeth Craigmile, Nan Davis, Robert Scott and Elizabeth Palmer) were killed by an IRA car bomb on Railway Road in ]Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...
, County Londonderry; the warning given by the IRA had been inadequate.[
* 21 June 1973: a British soldier (Barry Gritten, aged 29) was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb in an empty building on Lecky Road, ]Bogside
The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Féile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are ...
, Derry.[
* 21 June 1973: a British soldier (David Smith, aged 31) was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb in an empty building in Strabane.][
* 25 June 1973: three IRA volunteers (Patrick Carty, Dermot Crowley, and Sean Loughran) were killed when the bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely in their car on Gortin Road near ]Omagh
Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...
, County Tyrone.[
* 26 June 1973: the IRA shot dead a civilian (Noorbaz Khan, aged 45) who worked for the British Army as he left Bligh's Lane British Army Base, Derry.][
* 1 July 1973: an IRA sniper shot dead a patrolling British soldier (Reginald Roberts, aged 25) at Bull Ring, Ballymurphy, Belfast.][
* 4 July 1973: a British base in Derry was hit by two rockets and raked with gunfire. Another rocket exploded against the fence of a British base in Belfast, hurting two people. Two British patrols were ambushed elsewhere in Belfast and two people injured in the crossfire.
* 10 July 1973: the IRA shot dead a former UDR soldier (Isaac Scott, aged 41) outside Tully's Bar in Belleek, County Armagh, near ]Newtownhamilton
Newtownhamilton is a small village and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies predominantly within Tullyvallan townland. The civil parish is within the historic barony of Fews Upper. In the 2011 Census it had 2,836 inhabit ...
.[
* 11 July 1973: a rocket was fired at a British post guarding a gasworks in Derry. It hit an anti-rocket screen but there were no casualties. The IRA claimed responsibility.
* 17 July 1973: two British soldiers, Christopher Brady (aged 21) and Geoffrey Breakwell (aged 20), were killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb in an electricity junction box at Divis Flats, Belfast.][
* 18 July 1973: a patrolling British soldier (Brian Criddle, aged 34) was wounded by an IRA landmine near Clogher, County Tyrone. He died four days later, on 22 July 1973.][
* 20 July 1973: a patrolling British soldier (Richard Jarman, aged 37) was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb in Middletown, County Armagh.][
* 20 July 1973: the IRA shot dead an off-duty UDR soldier (Sidney Watt, aged 36) outside his home in Ballintemple, near Meigh, County Armagh.][
* 21 July 1973: two IRA volunteers were killed when the bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely in their car in Newcastle, County Down.]